Lawmakers Back Fight to Maintain Miners' Benefits

CHARLESTON, W.Va.—West Virginia's top lawmakers pledged at a rally Monday to ramp up pressure on Patriot Coal Corp. to continue providing health benefits to 23,000 retired coal miners and their dependents who could lose much of their coverage in bankruptcy court.

U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, and Rep. Nick Rahall, all Democrats, told several thousand gathered in the Charleston Civic Center that the retirees were entitled...